Coming Home
by Witchytara25
Summary: Emily gets a surprise visit in the middle of the night.


A/N: Forgive me for a personal note. I don't normally let people in my personal life (hence, why I am nicknamed Prentiss). However, this has been a tough week. I recently had a good friend pass away from an undiagnosed illness this week. She went into the hospital on Monday and was gone by Friday. She always used to tease me about my obsession with the show Criminal Minds and the character of Emily Prentiss. So, I know no better way than to honor her by writing a story that would make her rolls her eyes at me and smile. She used to tell me, "Good god, can you quote every episode?" To which I would smile sheepishly. So, Mary, this is for you. No more pain.

A/N2: And this is what I so wanted to happen before the wedding. I hate Will. I love Henry, but I hate Will. Will has no place in my universe. Will has no business on the show. Will interfers with my JJ/Emily world.

You watch her walk away from you and you sigh, the pain too great. You remember all the times you could have told her how you felt, but yet, you never could get the words past your lips. You know she is your reason. You're reason for breathing, for doing your job, for everything. You two are so close, but yet, so far away from each other.

The words were on the tip of your tongue. How hard is it to tell her that you love her? You know that once you say the words, you can never take them back. That your heart was hers from the moment you two laid eyes on each other. You remember her smile when you walked into the office the first time and how your heart literally stopped. You remember feeling terror when Doyle threatened the people you cared most about, especially when it came to her.

You remember the sleepless nights and the long days in Paris, wondering if you would ever make it home. You remember when you heard Doyle was dead, so you could get home to her. You remember how your heart shattered when you found out she was marrying that damn detective from Louisiana and how you felt when she was showing off her wedding ring.

You sigh and roll over; knowing that once again sleep is a lost cause. The wedding is tomorrow and you know there is nothing you can do to stop it, because you love her too much to impede on her happiness. You silently throw on a pair of shorts underneath your tank top and walk silently into the kitchen, putting the coffee on. You look out the window and notice the driving rain. You smile wryly to yourself, knowing that the rain seems to mirror your mood. As the smell of coffee fills the room, you sigh and sit at your kitchen table, wondering how you're going to get through the wedding.

You turn on the radio, and as you pour your cup of coffee, you wonder if you can get through it. You hate that detective as much as he hates you, and you wish that something or someone would get it through his head that he doesn't deserve her. You hate how he talks to her, how he seems like he talks down to her, that he thinks he's more superior than she is because he's male. You'd like to shoot him, but with JJ being the best shot in the FBI, you know her hitting you would probably be more likely.

You hear a faint knocking at your door and you look at the clock, wondering who the hell is knocking at your door at 3am. You grab your gun and head cautiously towards the door, glancing out the peephole. You stand their stunned for a moment, wondering if you conjured this. You open the door and see a very wet and obviously crying JJ standing at your door. You look down at her and she says quietly, "Will and I had a fight and I didn't know where else to go. Garcia's busy with Morgan and I didn't want to interrupt them. If you want me to go…"  
"Nonsense. Come in. just startled me, that's all. Don't usually get company at 3am."  
She smiles at that and comes in. You look at her and she says quietly, "I broke off the engagement tonight."  
You look at her, stunned and your heart leaps into your chest. "Why?"  
"It didn't feel right." You look down at her left hand and notice the engagement ring is missing. She follows your gaze and says quietly, "He wanted me to quit my job, become a stay at home mother. That's not what I want. I love my son, but I love my job, too. I also know that if I quit my job, I lose part of myself. So, tonight, I decided that we needed to sit down and have a talk. Only the talk led to fighting and fighting led to me throwing the ring at him and storming out."  
The sudden sobs startle you and you quickly move and take her into your arms, letting her let it all go. "Where's Henry?"  
"I dropped him off at Reid's. As much as Reid says he's uncomfortable aroudn Henry, I know he'll protect him. Plus, I couldn't stay at Reid's, even though Reid wouldn't ask questions."  
You nod and sigh, stroking her hair. She notices your sigh and looks up at you. "There were other reasons also."  
"What were those?"  
"I wasn't in love with him."  
You cock your head to the side, looking at her. "You weren't?"  
"I thought I was, but in the end, I knew I wasn't. While I want Henry to know his father, a marriage without love isn't worth having."  
You nod and continue stroking her hair. She lays her head on your shoulder and mumbles something. You pull her back and say quietly, "What did you say?"  
"It wasn't him I was in love with all this time. It was you."

You have to wonder if your dreaming. All the nights you waited for this, all the days you spent covertly trying not to stare at her, hiding your feelings behind the famous Emily Prentiss walls, it boils down to this moment. "You…you what?"  
She pulls back, looking up at you. "I never loved him. I always loved you. It was you. It was the other reason I could never marry him. You were who I dreamed about at night, who I dream about marrying."  
You look down at her, mouth slightly open. She grins slightly at that. "For once in your life, speechless, Agent Prentiss?"  
You grin at that and kiss her forehead, still stroking your hair. "Just surprised."  
She looks at you, earlier humor gone. "You do…do feel the same way, don't you?" she asks hesitantly, her beautiful features clouding over.  
You lift her chin up and say quietly, looking into her eyes. "I've loved you since the day I walked into the BAU. I never believed in love at first sight before you. I was cold, hiding behind walls. You walked in and started to chip away at those walls, bit by bit. I never felt vulnerable around you, just invincible. When you told me you were engaged to Will, I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces, not sure how to ever pick them up again. I want to be with you, but I want to make sure that this is what you want."  
She leans up and presses a soft kiss against your lips. In that kiss, you feel everything you need to feel, without words ever being said. In that moment, you feel the last of your walls crumble down. Pulling back, she looks at you, unshed tears in her eyes. You brush your thumb underneath her eyes, saying softly, "So, to answer your question, yes, I feel the same and yes, I love you."  
You take her hand and lead her upstairs. As you lay her gently on the bed, you lie beside her, gently wrapping your arms around her. She snuggles into your embrace and you stroke her hair as she closes her eyes, she mumbles, "I love you."  
You run your hand up and down her back, saying softly, "I love you too."

Some moments are just meant to be. And sometimes, just sometimes, what you want in life, comes to be.


End file.
